Grand Guignol

[asciident]

... Our Grand Guignol perfume is a shot of sweet apricot brandy; just enough to settle your nerves after a ghoulish, gory brush with the macabre.

Wet: Sour fruit.

First on: Fruit and...wood? Weird.

Dry: Still fruit and wood. Bizarre. Edited March 28, 2009 by Shollin

[vegasblueblood]

Rich syrupy apricot brandy. Almost TOO much, too sweet, too thick and cloying but just before it becomes all those things, it stops itself and it delicious, deep and yummy. It is supposed to represent grand guignol after all! I would not expect this to be a shy and demure blend! This is more sweet and fruity rather than alcoholic. It definitely has a boozy note but it's not as boozy as, say, Bordello and it is a rather dark blend, definitely not a full of golden lightness as some fruity sugary blends are.

[Argentwolf]

Sweet, yummy apricot; the brandy gives it a warm edge that balances out what could otherwise have been a cloyingly sweet odor. I have to slather it quite a bit, but when I do, it treats me to warm, fruity sweetness throughout the day. Very pretty.

[magikalbrownies]

this smells so deliciously fruity...

 

all yummy apricot with sugar glaze....

 

i smell like a yummy sweet tart from a pastry shop.

 

overall: a winner

[marcielynnt]

This came as a frimp with my latest order.

 

In the imp and wet, it's a strong, heady apricot, with an undercurrent of something dark and woody. I only start smelling the brandy side as the apricot starts to fade.

 

Alas, it does fade fast. An hour after applying, the scent is very soft, but still that lovely blend of apricot and wood, with just a delicate hint of booze.

 

I like this one quite a bit, but I do wish it was slightly stronger/longer lasting. I'll have to experiment with the amount I put on.

[Lamia]

Apricot brandy. The end Yum!

[milo]

On first sniff, this is a fruity/candylike blend with a touch of something acrid and bitter that just doesn't belong. Maybe a wood of some kind? Whatever it is, this blend is quite nauseating to me, partly because I don't really like fruity, candy scents, and partly because the wood just does not go along with this. Off to swaps with ya!

[angelicruin]

Inside the imp, mostly apricot.

 

Wet on the skin, apricot note is strongest. I smell the brandy note after a few minutes. Despite the description, I don't find it to be THAT boozy. It's mostly apricots on my skin.

[Ashmedai]

Um, yeah...apricot brandy, though more like a sweet dessert than booze. Too sweet and feminine for me, but it might work as a room scent.

 

[HKB]

Very fruity, tart dried apricots, with something medicinal that does not smell good. I guess thats the brandy. After a few minutes it smells like there's fig in there.

 

Later it smells like baby's poopy diaper. Gross.

[Indigo78]

Okay- I have got to start re-sniffing every imp that I own.

 

I have had this one for ages... and have even swapped other imps of it away unsniffed because I thought it was another blend that I already know and dislike.

 

But Grand Guignol? YUM.

 

Wet on the skin this is blast of tart and fruity apricot, mixed with a splash of salty ocean water. I only get the barest suggestion of booze, which I normally amp.

 

Later in the dry down it starts to remind me of the St. Ives Apricot body wash- the exfoliating one. I used to love that stuff, but I haven't used it for ages.

 

I don't know if I need a bottle of this, but I'll definitely hold onto my imp this time! It really is very pretty and unique. It seems to be wearing close to my skin. I'd guess that the throw is a short arms-length, and since it is already softening considerably after 20 minutes on my skin, it has a shorter wearlength. Slathering might make a difference, and I wouldn't mind slathering this. Not at all.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Wait a second... *goes to open and sniff her apricot liqueur* Yip, it smells like this but without the alcohol trying to evaporate up your nose and irritating it.

 

Wet: APRICOTS! And a splash of booze.

 

Dry: Apricots and sunlight and the barest breath of something boozey.

 

A while later: Apricots. Slightly sweetened - perhaps apricot nectar? With a breath of something fuller and deeper. Delicious.

[heathercaley]

Yum!! It's sweet sugary apricots for sure, but with some sort of earthyness creeping around the edges. It's almost like hay, or oats or something. LOVE IT!!

[Venneh]

In the frimp, this is straight up apricot and BRANDY. On my skin, it's pretty much the same. We'll see how this goes. The apricot and brandy combine in a way that is just world of no on me. Swaps/sales.

Edited December 11, 2009 by Venneh

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: over-ripe apricots

 

Wet on Skin: super sugary over-ripe apricots; reminds me of the sticky apricot fruit leather mom used to make

 

While Drying: not really getting a boozy feel, but definitely syrupy

 

After a Little While: apricot has died down a bit; scent seems familiar, but I can't place it; major throw

 

Later: might be allergic to something in here… giving me that same hard-to-breathe feeling that I get from Scherezade

 

Final Thoughts: not for me

Grand Guignol earns a 2/5 on my skin.

[starfish327]

lab fresh imp

 

in the imp: sharp and sweet. i have no idea what this actually smells like beyond that, no notes are sticking out for me.

 

wet: sweet and then sour. i have a feeling this isn't going to work out on me.

 

dry: soap and then something underneath it that's starting to rot. i still have no impression of individual notes, it's just a mess of ick on my skin. and it burned, so i think i'm allergic to it anyway.

[Saya]

This is a very rich, sweet, apricot blend. I get a touch of brandy at first, but that note quickly burns off leaving only the apricot.

 

It's too sweet for my tastes.

[girasol]

Frimpage with my Ebay order... thanks Puddin'!

 

In the imp: Schweeeeet! I don't get any kind of boozy note though.

Wet on skin: This is quite cloying when wet - a candy, syrupy sweetness. It doesn't smell particularly apricot-y yet, just sweet.

Dry: The sweetness burns off a bit as it dries, and a slightly woody character comes through. I can pick out the apricots now, it's fruity and mellow like a bag of dried apricots.

Verdict: It's pretty once some of the tooth-aching sweetness drops off, but once that happens it also doesn't have much throw. I will use the imp, but it's not a bottle candidate at the moment.

[gingiemay]

Booze-y, booze-y peach schnapps. The note is similar to the prototype of Josie that I have, but the booziness never goes away. Swaps!

[musichappens]

Mmm ... this is delicious! Plump, juicy apricots with just a smidge of brandy. Once it dried completely, I detected a slight amount of greenery alongside the brandy that seemed to take away most of the super sweetness of the apricots. This is really yummy, but I'm not sure I need a whole bottle.

[kohimame]

Wow, this scent is spot on! The tartness of the apricot and the booziness of the brandy really come together well. Sadly I don't really want to smell like apricot brandy, so off to the swaps we go!

 

Throw and wear were both very good, btw.

[hmelt004]

I ordered this because of the name and because apricot is one of the few fruit scents that work on me. This is a very sweet apricot, like the canned fruit in thick syrup. It fades very quickly on my skin and no amount of huffing can help me detect a "booze" note. I have smelled brandy and I don't get any from this. I'm going to keep the imp to layer with more earthy scents.

[FathomBelow]

Another free imp from the Lab!

 

On me, the alcohol notes quickly dominate the sweet fruitiness that I presume must be from the apricot, but doesn't smell a whole lot like apricot to me. The alcohol doesn't smell like brandy either - more like vodka? Apricot vodka?

 

This didn't really work out on me. I was hoping for a lot more apricot and a lot less booze. And anyway as I only like apricot, not love it, this is destined for my giveaway pile.

[SophieCedar]

Frimp from the lab!

 

Definitely not boozy.. I was hoping for a bit more of that. This is definitely apricot with a touch of sweet booze. Very mellow and I can see the Josie association.

[lunchboxmonkey]

I'm getting the brandy/alcohol smell with this one, but just slightly. Mostly this is peach. A juicy, delicious, fuzzy warm peach, just before you bite into it.... unfortunately not something I want to smell like, but this would be great for people who do like peach. Its not too cloying or sweet, and its certainly a true peach scent, its just not for me